


Discolored Palettes

by underwaternature



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 16:38:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15223319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underwaternature/pseuds/underwaternature
Summary: Two somewhat similar individuals have a somewhat unlikely meeting.





	Discolored Palettes

She spotted him sitting alone at a bench outside the school building after classes let out. The cloudy sky made for another cold January day, the thick barrier of the clouds preventing any ray of sunlight from piercing through. Other Kosei students walk by oblivious to the lone boy sketching off to the side, but their loud chattering or loud calls to one another to slow down never seemed to bother him. In fact, he was undisturbed entirely, focusing all his concentration to his sketchbook as if he was the only one present in the general vicinity.

Kitagawa Yusuke, Hifumi’s brain supplied for her. The art prodigy; Madarame Ichiryusai’s former pupil; the weird one who people left alone. There was barely anyone in the school who didn’t know who he was, especially when the Phantom Thieves took Madarame’s heart. Hifumi remembered when the gossip was at its peak. You couldn’t go anywhere in the school without hearing one indiscreet whisper about the so-called vigilante thieves, something about Yusuke himself, or both. She remembered, during when the event was still very fresh in everyone’s minds, the side-eyes from classmates as they gossiped and pointed at the artist, and him on his own, sitting quietly on the sidelines.

Now, months later, she realized he was doing anything but.

Hifumi soon found herself walking towards him, curious on what he was doing. She was more than aware of the looks her peers shot at her back, but she kept moving. She came to a stop near the bench, close enough to see his project. On the paper was a sketch of a figure adorned in what appeared to be Japanese garb, complete with facial markings. They held a large smoking pipe in one hand, the other outstretched to one side. Swirls and messy snowflakes were scribbled onto the paper in both the foreground and the back, giving the overall drawing a cold and powerful vibe to it. Yusuke kept his eyes on the paper, hands always moving to bolden lines or add new details. He didn’t seem to notice her come near.

“That’s a lovely drawing,” Hifumi commented, not moving from her spot. If he didn’t notice her before, he certainly did now. Yusuke’s pencil paused, and the young man turned his gaze towards her. The initial surprise was then replaced by confusion.

“I...” He was at a loss for words. “Thank you,” he then settled on. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “You are Togo Hifumi-san, correct?”

“Yes, I am,” the shogi player replied. “Akira-kun has told me about you.”

His eyes widened in surprise, but then relaxed. “He did? Are you one of his friends?"

Hifumi nodded. “Yes. And he also told me that you also part of his after school club of sorts.”

That caught his full attention, as Yusuke now turned his body to face her. “Ah... so you’re one of the ones to figure it out?”

She nodded again. Another pause appeared between them. God, did they suck at conversations.

“I hear you’re spreading the word of his arrest on TV?” Yusuke inquired. Hifumi blinked at the sudden change in topic.

“Ah, yes, I am,” Hifumi answered. “Personally, I believe he has been subjugated to injustice far too much. They see only the negatives of his actions and not the good. He’s already done so much for me—this is the least I could do in return.”

“I share that same sentiment,” Yusuke added. “I cannot say that these past few months were the best, but I will say that they were the most meaningful and inspirational. Meeting Akira is not something I would’ve thought would change my world entirely, but it did, and I mean that in a literal way as well.”

Hifumi laughed. “He certainly did, hm?” As she recalled memories, a question popped up in her mind. “Kitagawa-kun, if you don’t mind me asking, but when did you join the group?”

“When I joined?” The artist rested a hand on his chin in thought. “I believe it was somewhere from mid to late May. Why?”

“It’s fine if you can’t answer this—I’m only asking because the timing lines up—but how did Akira-kun know about me before we first met? You and I both know he didn’t go to Kosei, and he also knew nothing about shogi in the first place, so it's doubtful he knew me from articles or the internet.”

“Oh, that’s because I told him about you.”

Hifumi blinked again in surprise. “You did?”

Yusuke nodded. “I’ve heard about your status as a shogi player long before the group was formed,” he explained. “Our leader had been wanting to learn new strategies to help benefit the group, so I directed him to you.”

Oh. “That explains a lot,” she muttered to herself. She didn’t need to ask what Akira used his shogi-playing knowledge on, she had pestered him enough to get a straight answer. “Say, don’t you think it’s strange we haven’t held a conversation until now? We’re classmates and share a mutual friend, and yet I believe this was the first time I’ve spoken to you.”

“True; probably because we’ve had no reason to speak with one another. I’m sure we have nothing in common after all,” Yusuke mused.

“That may be so,” Hifumi admitted, looking up at the cloudy sky, “but both of us won’t be here where we are now without Akira-kun, right?”

He chuckled. “You’re certainly right on that.”

The two stood in silence once again. The last students on campus from classes were now one by one leaving the area, going wherever they needed to go. Yusuke continued on with his drawing, to which he allowed Hifumi to watch, adding a few more brisk strokes onto the paper. Satisfied with his work, he closed the sketchbook and put down his pencil and eraser.

“I suppose I must get going,” he announced, standing up from his spot and placing them into his bag. “It was a pleasure talking to you, Togo-san.”

“The pleasure was mine, thank you,” Hifumi replied with a smile.

Nodding in parting, Yusuke turned his back and started his way towards the crosswalk in front of their school. However, before he even took his first step, a loud grumble was heard from his stomach. Hifumi eyed him as he put his hand over his stomach, only saying a simple, “Oh.”

“Kitagawa-kun,” the shogi player began with a dull tone, coming up next to him, “what or when was the last time you ate?”

“Beans last night,” her classmate said immediately. “I bought a few packets of them at the grocery store last week when they were on sale. Did you know that they’re quite—”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Hifumi interrupted, putting a hand up. “I know a good place where we can buy snacks. Since you’re obviously starving right now, it’s my treat.”

“Huh? Togo-san, you don’t need to—”

“Kitagawa-kun, do you want food or not?”

Faced with her flat stare, she watched his expression as he mentally debated whether or not to decline the offer for food. Finally, Yusuke sighed and accepted the offer. Relaxing with a smile, Hifumi waved him over for him to follow her, leading the way as they crossed the empty road.

**Author's Note:**

> ehh, sorry if they seem ooc or if some parts seem unnatural, haven't played the game in a while. but yeah, i wish these two had interacted, it would've been fun


End file.
